REPORTER: MICHAEL HARRISON CLEARLY WANTS TO MANAGE EXPECTATIONS. HIS GOAL HE SAYS IS TO MAKE BPD A BETTER A BETTETR PERFORMING DEPARTMENT, BUT OTHER THIN OUTSIDE POLICE AND HAVE TO HAPPEN TOO. AS HE MET THE BALTIMORE COMMUNITY, IN A SERIES OF PUBLIC MEETINGS, MICHAEL HARRISON SAYS HE HEARD PEOPLE ASK FOR THE SAME THINGS OF BALTIMORE POLICE. >> THEY WANT MORE POLICE VISIBILITY. THEY WANT POLICE TO BE HIGHLY ENGAGE THEY WANT POLICE TO BE PROACTIVE AND THEY REALLY WANT POLICE TO DO MORE ABOUT THE OPEN AIR DRUIG -- DRUG MARKET. REPORTER: PROACTIVE POLICING BECAME A BAD WORD IN BALTIMORE, WITH THE AGGRESSIVE TACTICS OF PLAINCLOTHES UNITS THAT PREDATED AND LED TO THE GUN TRACE TASK FORCE. NOW THERE IS SOME CRITICISM THE CONSENT DECREE MANADATING REFORM CAUSES POLICE TO PULL BACK TOO MUCH. HARRISON, WITH CONSENT DECREE EXPERIENCE IN NEW ORELEANS SAYS, OFFICERS CAN BE AGGRESSIVE WITHOUT BEING ABUSIVE. >> IN ENFORCEMENT WE ARE RESPONDING TO COMPLAINTS OF OPEN AIR DRUG MARKETS. PROSTITUTION, VIOLENCE CRIME, ROBBERIES, SO YEAH, WE ARE GOING AFTER THE PEOPLE WHO ARE COMMITTING CRIME IN OUR COMMUNITIES AND WE ARE BEING PROACTIVE ABOUT IT BUT YOU. CAN BE PROCATIIVE IN A CONSTITUTIONAL WAY. REPORTER: MONDAY NIGHT, A TRIPLE SHOOTING LEFT AN 18-YEAR-OLD WOMAN DEAD IN WEST BALTIMORE. >> WHAT WOULD HAVE PREVENTED THAT? >> WELL. ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO SAY WHAT WOULD PREVENTED IT, BECAUSE THE DECISION WAS MADE IN THE HEAD OF THE SHOOTER. AND SO I THINK THE CULTURE OF A SOCIETY THAT MADE A PERSON MAKE THAT DECISON HAS TO BE CHANGED. REPORTER: HARRISON SAYS HE WILL MAKE SURE POLICE DO BETTER AT BUILDING TRUST IN COMMUNITIES, AND BUILD GOOD CASES FOR PROSECUTION. BUT DEEPLY ROOTED SOCIAL CONDITIONS HAVE TO CHANGE TOO. >> WHEN YOU PUT IT ALL TOGETHER WITH OFFERING PEOPLE JOBS, AND SKILLS AND OPPORTINITIES, IMPROVING THE EDUCATION SYSTEM, IMPROVING MENTAL HEALTH, T DRUG ABUSE, IMPROVING THE HOUSING SITUATION. WHEN YOU LEAD PEOPLE TO GET ENVIRONMENTS, -- GOOD ENVIRONMENTS WHEN YOU FIX ALL OF , THAT, THE DECISIONS CHANGE. REPORTER: HARRISON ALSO SPOKE ABOUT CHANGING THE CULTURE IN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, HE SAYS CHANGE THE REWARD SYSTEM, NO LONGER BASED ON NUMBERS OF ARRESTS OR GUNS SEIZED, BUT ON BETTER RESULTS IN REDUCING CRIME AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.

Baltimore's new police commissioner is already working on getting more officers on the street.Commissioner Michael Harrison was confirmed Monday by the City Council and sworn in Tuesday. He said Wednesday he's using more civilians in positions to free up sworn officers.Harrison told the 11 News I-Team he heard the same requests from the public in all the meetings he had leading up to his confirmation. He said residents requested that police officers be more visible and proactive. People also he said they want the Police Department to reform its practices. "They want more police visibility. They want police to be highly engaged. They want police to be proactive and they really want police to do more about the open-air drug markets," Harrison said. Proactive policing became a bad word in Baltimore, with the aggressive tactics of plainclothes units that predated and led to the Gun Trace Task Force. Now there is some criticism the consent decree mandating reform causes police to pull back too much.Harrison, who had consent decree experience in New Orleans, says officers can be aggressive without being abusive."In (law) enforcement, we are responding to complaints of open-air drug markets, prostitution, violent crime, robberies. So, we are going after the people who are committing crime in our communities and we are being proactive about it but you can be proactive in a constitutional way," Harrison said. On Monday night, a triple shooting left an 18-year-old woman dead."Well, it's almost impossible to say what would have prevented it because the decision was made in the head of the shooter. And so I think the culture of a society that made a person make that decision has to be changed," Harrison said. Harrison says he will make sure police do better at building trust in communities and building good cases for prosecution, but deeply rooted social conditions, he says, have to change too."When you put it all together with offering people jobs, and skills and opportunities, improving the education system, improving mental health, the housing situation," Harrison said. "When you fix all of that, the decisions change."Harrison also spoke about changing the culture in the police department. He says the reward system should no longer be based on numbers of arrests or guns seized, but on better results in reducing crime and community engagement.Harrison said Baltimore police officers have been expected to do too many things."The next best thing to bringing people on, or using overtime, is to reduce the workload. Right now, we are being all things to all people, and I think we should prioritize, to figure out core functions of what we really should be doing and deploy to that, and really socialize the new concept to our residents and community about why we are here, what we should be doing and prioritize and do those things well instead of doing everything not so well," Harrison said.Harrison said police should not be expected to reduce crime on their own.

BALTIMORE —

Baltimore's new police commissioner is already working on getting more officers on the street.

Harrison told the 11 News I-Team he heard the same requests from the public in all the meetings he had leading up to his confirmation. He said residents requested that police officers be more visible and proactive. People also he said they want the Police Department to reform its practices.

"They want more police visibility. They want police to be highly engaged. They want police to be proactive and they really want police to do more about the open-air drug markets," Harrison said.

Proactive policing became a bad word in Baltimore, with the aggressive tactics of plainclothes units that predated and led to the Gun Trace Task Force. Now there is some criticism the consent decree mandating reform causes police to pull back too much.

Harrison, who had consent decree experience in New Orleans, says officers can be aggressive without being abusive.

"In (law) enforcement, we are responding to complaints of open-air drug markets, prostitution, violent crime, robberies. So, we are going after the people who are committing crime in our communities and we are being proactive about it but you can be proactive in a constitutional way," Harrison said.

On Monday night, a triple shooting left an 18-year-old woman dead.

"Well, it's almost impossible to say what would have prevented it because the decision was made in the head of the shooter. And so I think the culture of a society that made a person make that decision has to be changed," Harrison said.

Harrison says he will make sure police do better at building trust in communities and building good cases for prosecution, but deeply rooted social conditions, he says, have to change too.

"When you put it all together with offering people jobs, and skills and opportunities, improving the education system, improving mental health, the housing situation," Harrison said. "When you fix all of that, the decisions change."

Harrison also spoke about changing the culture in the police department. He says the reward system should no longer be based on numbers of arrests or guns seized, but on better results in reducing crime and community engagement.

Harrison said Baltimore police officers have been expected to do too many things.

"The next best thing to bringing people on, or using overtime, is to reduce the workload. Right now, we are being all things to all people, and I think we should prioritize, to figure out core functions of what we really should be doing and deploy to that, and really socialize the new concept to our residents and community about why we are here, what we should be doing and prioritize and do those things well instead of doing everything not so well," Harrison said.

Harrison said police should not be expected to reduce crime on their own.

How do you change the culture in BPD? New Commissioner Michael Harrison says change the reward system..Goodbye "G" Days made famous by GTTF pic.twitter.com/dj1X3mTc5M